Today, on this lovely Monday morning, I have the special privilege of introducing Lynnette Sheppard who has kindly agreed to guest post here at Writing in the Stillness.
Lynnette Sheppard lives in Arizona with her husband and five children. She loves chocolate, sunshine, trying new recipes, and curling up with a good book. She encourages others to live authentic, intentional lives that are grounded in roots of faith and simplicity on her blog, Simply for Real. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
How a “Less is More” Christmas Can Joyfully Transform the Holidays
I come from a family where Christmas was a huge production.
The grand finale featured a mountain of presents that sometimes reached almost
halfway up the tree. As a child, I looked forward to it all year long.
I cannot deny that the magic was real for me back then. I
could not wait to sneak out before Mom and Dad woke up on Christmas morning and
attempt to count the number of gifts that had my name on them. That was usually
an exercise in futility because there were so many brightly wrapped packages arranged
around the majestic tree, but that did not stop me from trying.
There were many years where money was tight, but that did
not necessarily result in fewer presents. It only meant that thrift and
creativity was used in the acquisition of that enchanting mountain. It was the
one time during the year when we were rather spoiled.
I remember feeling sorry for my friend one year because she only
got one gift when I could not even name everything that I got without looking
at the stash. I was sure that she was deprived of the Christmas magic that I
had grown to love. For me, that magic consisted of stuff…and lots of it.
However, I also remember that, despite the amount of time, thought,
effort, creativity, and money that my parents invested in order to make
Christmas big and memorable, it seemed like there was always somebody unhappy after all of the gifts were opened because
they did not get what they wanted. I felt bad for my parents when that
happened, but I brushed those feelings aside when I looked at my own stack of
gifts.
Many years later, when I had young children of my own, my
husband and I decided that we no longer wanted to carry on the tradition of big
Christmases. While we loved it as children, as adults we did not enjoy the
frenzied shopping, endless wrapping, and staying up late on Christmas Eve to make
sure that everything was perfect.
But, more than that, we did not enjoy watching our kids open
one gift, look at if for a moment, and then toss it aside like it was no big
deal while they waited for us to hand them something else. We wanted them to be
grateful for what they received, and we knew of no better way to teach them
that than to give them less.
From that point on, we told the kids (the oldest of which
was eight at the time) that they would only receive one present from Santa and
one present from Mom and Dad. That was in addition to a pair of new Christmas
PJ’s, one new book each, and one gift from the family member who drew their
name out of hat. The pile of gifts under the tree on Christmas morning became
significantly smaller, and that was a beautiful thing.
The best part, however, was that the beauty extended beyond
the number of presents. Not only did I feel like the kids started to appreciate
their gifts a whole lot more, but we all began to enjoy the events of season
more than we had in the past. Fewer gifts translated into fewer hours spent
shopping and agonizing about whether we had enough. It meant that we spent much
less time wrapping, and late nights on Christmas Eve with a roll of wrapping
paper and tape in hand were only a memory. It meant that we worried less about
how we were going to hide everything in order to keep little eyes from seeing
their surprises before Christmas morning. At the end of the day, less time
spent in the pursuit of stuff resulted in considerably less worry and stress
surrounding the holidays.
Although the month of December will never be void of
busyness, especially now that our kids are older and have their own busy
schedules, our deliberate decision to simplify our gift giving has really
simplified our whole approach to the holidays. It has indirectly created more time
and energy to do the things that we love: watching Christmas movies, reading
Christmas stories, attending concerts and plays, enjoying the magnificent lights
and sounds, cooking, eating, spending time with friends and family, and
focusing on the birth of Christ, which is, after all, the real reason for the season.
Because it has made a huge difference in our family, I
wholeheartedly recommend a minimalist approach to Christmas for anyone who
tends to feel more overwhelmed than joyful at this time of year. Less is truly
more: more gratitude, more energy, more joy, and more time to focus on what
matters most.
